Gandhinagar: The district administration launched a large-scale demolition drive on early Thursday morning to remove illegal encroachments on government land along the Sabarmati River in the state capital. Over 700 structures across areas including GEB, Jiabi, Pethapur, and Charedi are being cleared amid heavy police presence. Authorities said the encroachments were blocking planned development projects.

Gandhinagar SP Ravi Teja Vasamshetty said the drive targets one lakh square meters of encroached land, with 100 structures already demolished and 600 more scheduled for removal. The reclaimed land is valued at around Rs 1,000 crore. Over 700 police personnel, 20 administrative teams, and 20 JCBs have been deployed for the operation.

Similar drives were conducted earlier this year in Ahmedabad, clearing over 4 lakh square meters of illegal encroachments across two phases. In Rajkot, police recently demolished 60 illegal structures linked to habitual offenders. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the government is committed to strict action against those occupying government land and engaging in criminal activities. DeshGujarat